Roof structure

Abstract

A roof structure of the type having a plurality of wooden beams whose sides are provided with mortices for receiving end edges of roofing panels. The invention improves the strength of the structure by employing a generally zig-zag or corrugated cross-section by arranging the mortices such that at least a major portion of each mortice extends at an acute angle with respect to the elongation of the beam, which generally corresponds to the direction of wood grain. The invention thus provides the advance of an increased strength of the structure as compared with prior art which is typical by the mortices being generally straight and/or parallel with the elongation of the wood grain which normally corresponds to the elongation of the beam.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows: 
     
       1. A roof structure of the type including a plurality of elongated, generally rectangular wooden beam members each having a top face, a bottom face, two side faces and two end faces, longitudinal channel means in at least one of said side faces for receiving an end edge portion of a roofing panel member, at least a major portion of the length of said channel means extending at an acute angle with respect to the elongation of said beam member, said channel means being of the type of a wavy groove extending generally centrally and longitudinally of the respective side face of the beam member, said structure further comprising a plurality of generally identical roofing panels each having two side edges and two end edges, said end edges being received in said channel means; each of said roofing panels further having surface means extending between said edges to form the surface of said panel; said end edges of each of said panels being curved to generally correspond to the shape of at least a portion of the length of the respective wavy groove, said side edges being generally straight and extending between respective ends of said end edges, whereby said surface means is of a convaco-convex shape, wherein each of said panels gradually decreases in thickness in the direction from one of said side edges to the other, whereby the thickness of one side edge is less that that that of the other, the shape of said channel means being generally complementary with the shape of said plurality of the roofing panels at the respective end edges thereof. 
     
     
       2. A structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein said side edges of each panel include tongue-and-groove means for engaging side edges of adjacent panels to form a side joints of adjacent panels. 
     
     
       3. A structure as claimed in claim 2 wherein the thickness of side edge of one panel forming said joint is greater than the thickness of the side edge of the other panel forming said joint. 
     
     
       4. A structure as claimed in claim 3 wherein the length of the end edges of each of said panels in such that the overall length of the associated end edges of two abutted panels corresponds to one crest-and-valley portion of said wavy shape of the groove. 
     
     
       5. A structure as claimed in claim 4 wherein each of said panels is formed by a wooden frame including side edge members, arched end edge members, by a plywood top wall member and by a plywood bottom wall member, said wall members being fixedly secured to said wooden frame, said top wall member and said bottom wall member extending over the respective side edge members of said frame to form a portion of said tongue-and-groove means.